Heddle for circular looms



@da 4, 19m V, E ROYLE 2,132,245

HEDDLE FOR CIRCULAR LOOMS Filed Sept. 8, 1937 INENTOR Patented Oct. 4, 1938 UNITED ASTATES PATENT OFFICE 2,132,245 HEDDLE FOR CIRCULAR LOOMS Vernon E. Royle, `Paterson, N. J. Application September 8, 1937, Serial No. 162,837

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t This invention relates to improvements in loom f harness and more particularly to the construction of the heddles of circular looms.

One object of the invention is to provide a iiat bar heddle of thin metal having a. simple and eicient means of quickly and readily attaching and detaching a tubular guide eye.

Another object is to provide a heddle having resilient means for positioning, centering and removably securing a cylindrical guide eye at right angles to the flat plane of the heddle.

A still further object is to provide certain improvements in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts whereby the above and other objects may effectively be attained.

A practical embodiment of my invention is represented in the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. l represents a detail front elevation` of a portion of the loom harness having a series of my impro-ved heddlessecured thereto;

Fig. 2 represents a vertical section taken in the plane of the line II-II of Fig. l looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 3 represents a detail front elevation of a heddle showing the resilient means of attaching or detaching a guide eye;

Fig. 4 represents a horizontal section, on an enlarged scale, taken in the plane of the line IV-IV of Fig. l looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 5 represents a plan View of my improved guide eye;

Fig. 6 represents a horizontal section similar to Fig. 4 of a modiiied form of guide eye;

Fig. '7 represents a plan view of the guide eye shown in Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 represents a horizontal section, similar to Figs. 4 and 6, or a modified form of heddle bar and guide eye;

Fig. 9 represents a vertical section taken in the plane of the line IX--IX of Fig. 8 looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 10 represents a detailV elevation of a portion of the heddle bar shown in Figs. 8 and 9, and

Fig. 1l represents a plane View of the guide eye also shown in Figs. 8 and 9 inclusive.

The harness now in common use in circular4 looms comprises a frame including upper and lower rails and a plurality of heddles supported onVV the rails by passing the. railsthrough Yelongated slots in the opposite ends of each of the heddles. The heddles are each formed of a flat metal strip and disposed flatwise adjacent each other on the rails with no means of spacing them apart. This method of mounting locates the flat surfaces of the heddles adjacent each other so that the warp threads which pass through the heddles will contact with the wide face of the heddles and create a maximum friction therebetween, which friction Will eventually cut and weaken or destroy the heddle. When means for guiding the warp threads are applied to the heddles, they must be fixed horizontally and lengthwise to the flat face of the heddle, thus placing the heddles and guiding means in contact with adjacent heddles and causing considerable vibration, rattle and noise while the loom is in motion. If, for any reason, it is necessary to remove certain of the heddles, or even remove or replace the guiding means, the rails must be released from their supporting frame, thereby dismantling that whole harness section which must necessarily silence the whole loom as well as consume a maximum amount of time and labor in the operation of dismantling and replacing the parts.

In the present structure each heddle denoted by I consists of a flat bar of thin metal having a certain degree of resiliency and provided at its upper end with a hole 2 arranged to receive a bolt or rivet 3 for securing it flatvvise to the upper rail 4 of the loom harness (not shown). The lower end of the heddle has a similar hole 5 and a bolt or rivet 6 serves to hold it securely to the lower rail 1 of the harness.

A guide eye 'is located intermediate the ends of the heddle and comprises a cylindrical member preferably of hardened steel having a' longitudinal central bore 9 and an exterior annular channel II) midway its ends. This guide eye 8 is vremovably secured in a hole I I centrally disposed in the h-eddle and has a diameter substantially equal to the diameter of the bottom I2 of the annular channel I0 in the guide eye.

In order that the guide eye may be readily inserted and removed from the hole II in the heddle I, it is necessary that the walls of the hole be expanded suiciently to admit the cylindrical end of the guide. This is accomplished by providing the heddle with narrow slits I3, I4 centrally disposed and extending above and be low the hole II respectively. The upper slit I3 terminates in a hole I5, while the lower slit M ends in a hole I6. Thus, the metal, anking the holes and slits, forms two narrow strips I'I, I8 which are capable of being sprungapart edgewise so as to expand the interior diameter of the hole II, as shown in dotted outline in Fig. 3, for the insertion of the end of the guide eye 8. When the annular channel Ill .of the guide eye 8 regylO isters with the hole II, the strips I1, I8 will assume their initial position by the normal resiliency of the metal so that the walls of the hole II will seat in the channel I0, thereby securely holding the guide eye in the heddle and against unintentional displacement. The guide eye also may be removed by spreading the strips I'I, I8 apart edgewise so that the wall of the hole II will be removed from the channel I in the guide eye, whereupon the guide eye is free to be released frorn the heddle.

Thus, it will be seen that any one or all of the guide eyes may be removed from and replaced in their respective heddles without disturbing or dismantling the loom harness, which removal and replacement consumes a minimum period of time and without the use of skilled labor.

In Figs. 6 and 7 I have shown a modied form of tubular guide eye I9 having an exterior annular channel 20. The forward end of this guide eye is tapered as shown at 2I and functions to facilitate the easy insertion of the guide eye in the heddle by its engagement with the walls of the hole I I, which automatically spreads the strips Il, I8 apart edgewise while the guide eye is being moved in a longitudinal direction into the hole. When the channel of the guide eye I9 is brought into alinement with the hole II, the-strips I'I, I8 will automatically snap into the channel and the guide eye will be securely held in its operative position in the heddle.

To remove this guide eye from its heddle, the eye I9 is further provided with another tapered portion 22 which diverges from the bottom of the channel 2!) to the rearward end of the guide eye, so that as the guide eye is pressed in the same longitudinal direction as for inserting, the tapered portion 22 will be caused to engage the walls of the hole I I and force the strips I'I, I8 apart edgewise until the guide eye I9 is free to pass from the hole II and heddle. After the kguide eye passes from the hole II, the strips Il, I8 return to their normal position.Y

It has been found in practice that when certain types of guide eyes are held against rotation in their respective heddles, the friction caused by the thread traveling through the bore wears longitudinal channels in the upper and lower walls of the bore, and in order to increase the service of the guide eye, I. have shown in Figs. 8 to 11 inclusive a modied form of heddle 23 having a hole 24 arranged to receive a guide eye 2l, which hole is provided with oppositely disposed straight portions 25, 26. The guide eye 2l is provided with an exterior annular channel 28 having flat bottom surfaces 29, 3D, 3I and 32, of which the iiat surfaces 29, S are parallel f and arranged to coact with the straight portions 25, of the hole 24 when in one position and when the guide eye is rotated ninety degrees, the parallel at surfaces 3|, 32 will be brought into engagement with the straight portions 25, 26.

It is obvious that various changes may be resorted to in the construction, form, and arrangement of the several parts without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, and hence I do not intend to be limited to the particular embodiment herein shown and described except as they may be included in the claims.

What I claim is:

1. A heddle for circular looms comprising, a at bar of thin metal having a longitudinal slit therein and forming two resilient portions intermediate its ends, said portions being movable edgewise in opposite directions, and a cylindrical guide eye removably secured in said slit between the resilient portions.

2. A heddle for circular looms comprising, a flat bar of thin metal having its central portion slit longitudinally into two narrow strips, said strips being resilient and movable edgewise in opposite directions, and a cylindrical guide eye removably secured in said slit between the strips.

3. A heddle for circular looms comprising, a iiat bar of thin vmetal having its central portion slit longitudinally into two narrow strips, said strips being resilient and movable edgewise in opposite directions, and a cylindrical guide eye removably secured in said slit between the strips, said guide eye having means intermediate its ends adapted to be engaged by the adjacent edges of the strips for preventing unintentional displacement.

4. A heddle for circular looms comprising, a flat bar of thin metal having its central portion slit longitudinally into two narrow strips, said strips being resilient and movable edgewise in opposite directions, recesses centrally disposed in the adjacent edges of the strips, and a guide eye having an annular channel intermediate its ends adapted to receivethe walls of said recesses for preventing unintentional displacement.

5. A heddle for circular looms comprising, a

flat bar of thin metal having its central portion divided longitudinally into two narrow strips, said strips being resilient and movable edgewise in oppositeA directions, recesses centrally disposed in the adjacent edges of .the strips, and a guide eye having a channel intermediate its ends for the reception of the walls of said recesses, said guide eye having its end tapered for insertion by longitudinal movement between said recesses.

6. A heddle for circular looms comprising, a flat barof thin metal having its central portion divided longitudinally into two narrow strips, said strips being resilient and movable edgewise in opposite directions, recesses centrally disposed in the adjacent edges of the strips, and a guide eye having a channel intermediate its ends for the reception of the walls of said recesses, said guide eye having one end tapered for insertion and the other end similarly tapered forremoval by longitudinal movement between said recesses.

kr7. A heddle for circular looms comprising, a flat bar of thin metal having its central portion divided longitudinally into two narrow strips, said strips being resilient and movable edgewise in opposite directions, recesses centrally disposed in the adjacent edges of the strips, a guide eye having a channel intermediate its ends for the reception of the walls of said recesses, and means in the recesses and channel for holding the guide eye against unintentional rotation and displacement.

8. A heddle for circular looms comprising, a flat bar of thin metal having its central portion divided longitudinally into two narrow strips, said strips being resilient and movable edgewise in opposite directions, recesses centrallyV disposed in the adjacent edges of the strips and having oppositely disposed straight portions, and a guide eye having a channel intermediate its ends provided with flat-bottom surfaces, said straight portions of the recesses and flat bottomsurfaces of the channel coacting to hold the guide eye against unintentional rotation and displacement.

VERNON E. RoYLE. 

